Refrigerating apparatus



P. M. JAUVERT REFRIGERAIING APPARATUS 6 May 3,1927.

Filed Marbh 51, 1924 fmw Patented May 3, 19 27. I

I 1,626,836 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

rmnnn MAURICE JAUVERT, or 'rounon, FRANCE.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

Application filed March 31, 1924, Serial No. 703,243, and in FranceMarch 31, 1923.

, frigeration of the various rooms or spaces closed circuit, acompressor for the suction to be cooled.

This type of installation comprises, in a and the compression of aliquefiable gaseous fluid which will be herein designated as therefrigerating fluid; a condenser consisting of a temperature-exchangingdevice in which the compressed fluid from the said compressor becomesliquefied by cooling in contact with a cold liquid circulation (water.as a rule); an evaporator constituted by a temperature-exchangingdevice wherein the liquid refrigerating fluid from the conden ser iscaused to evaporate by the effect of the suction of the compressor andwithdraws the heat necessary for its evaporation from the cold-conveyingfluid. This fluid, as stated hereinabove, can be a non freezing brine orin other cases air, and when thus cooled the said fluid is supplied to.the piping for the refrigeration of the several rooms or spaces to becooled.

My said invention has forvits object the regulation of the production ofcold in a refrigerating plant of this type by means of the change ofvolume of a liquid when congealing.

In an installation of this class, the amount of cold to be brought bythe said cold-conveying liquid into the rooms or spaces to be cooled,and hence the rate of evaporation I of the refrigerating fluid in theevaporator,

should be at all times proportional to the momentary requirements of thesaid rooms as concerns the temperature. For instance, in an ice-makingplant, the difference in temperature, at the end of the operation be-"tween the water subjected to freezing and the cold-conveying fluid ismuch less than at the beginning of theoperation, so that the amount ofcalories which can be taken away by the said fluid per unit of time willthus be reduced; it is therefore advisable to diminish the production ofcold in order to obviate the introduction of non-evaporatedrefrigerating liquid into the compressor, since this'may cause damageand will A positive indication that all the cold produced by theevaporator is absorbed by the cold-conveying fluid and used in the roomsor spaces to be cooled, is afforded when frost is seen upon the suctionpiping of the refrigerating fluid of the evaporator; but the frost willin this event appear only alonga short distance, at the outlet of theevaporator.

The automatic regulator of the production of cold consists of a valvemounted on the refrigerating fluid piping between the condenser and theevaporator; said valve is controlled by the gradual increase in volumeof a congealable liquid contained in a control device whereof oneportion surrounds the suction tube serving for the withdrawal of therefrigerating liquid from the evaporator. When the liquid thus withdrawnbe comes too cold, the liquid in the said control device will be frozenalong the greater part of the length thereof, and this will reduce thehow of the refrigerating liquid" between the condenser and theevaporator.

The following description and appended drawing which are given by way ofexample relate to a constructional form of the said apparatus, thelatter being shown in vertical axial section.

The said,refrigerating arrangement comprises a vertical supporting frame1 having bored therein at the upper part various radial cylinders suchas 2, 3 which are disposed about a central portion 4 constituting asuction chamber. The lower extension 5 is traversed by the motor shaft 6which is" provided at this point with a suitable fiuidtight packing, notshown; At the lower end comprising an annular space 15 disposed betweentwo surfaces of the respective flat annular elements 16, 17 in coaxialposition;

the said elements are filled with granulated lead for insulatingpurposes. The upper part of the condenser is connected by the tube 18with a collector 19 communicating with the discharge tubes 20 of thecompressor cylinders. The condenser chamber 15 is surrounded by a jacket21, which is supplied at the bottom with circulating water from conduit22 and discharges the same at the top through the, pipe 23 into thecasing 14 from which it is discharged througha pipe 24 opening at theupper part of sa d casing. The evaporator surrounds the sa1d casing,which is covered for this purpose with an insulating coating 25; thesaid evaporator-in the same manner as the condenser-consists of anannular chamber 26 disposed between two surfaces of the respective flatannular elements 27, 28 in coaxial position; the said elements arefilled with granulated lead. The said chamber is surrounded by a jacket29, provided with the insulating covering 25'. The bottom of thecondenser 15 is connected by the pipe 30-30 through an automaticregulator of the refrigeration 31with the lower part of the evaporator26; the latter is connected by the pipe'32 with the central suctionchamber 4 of the compressor. The jacket 29 is supplied at the top withthe brine which is withdrawn from the chambers to be cooled through theconduit by the pump 34 (which is always under operation) and isdelivered to said jacket through the conduit 35. The brine is againdelivered to the rooms or chambers to be cooled, through the conduit 36disposed at the lower part of the jacket 29. The automatic regulator 31for the flow of refrigerant and thereby the degree of cold comprises acasing which is divided into two parts by an elastic diaphragm 37 havingthereon a valve needle 38 which is adapted to close the inlet of therefrigerating liquid supplied by the pipe 30. The top chamber 39communicating with the pipe 30 also communicates with the pipe 30leading to the evaporator. The second chamber 40 of the said apparatusis connected by the pipe 41 with a sleeve or jacket 42 surrounding thepipe 32. The chamber 40, the tube 41 and the jacket 42 form a closedcombination which contains a congealable liquid such as water.

The operation is as follows:

When the closed circuit comprising the compressor, condenser andevaporator is filled with fluid at the normal pressure, and when thesaid compressor is in operation, the latter will deliver the compressedfluid through the conduits 20 and 18 into the condenser 15; saidcondenser is cooled-by the water circulation 22, 23, 24 which also coolsthe compressor cylinders. The refrigerating fluid is condensed, and itis delivered to the evaporator 26 through the' conduit 30, theregulating device 31 and the conduit 30; the said fluid is withdrawnfrom the evaporator through the conduit 32 and enters then thecompressor chamber 4. In this manner the liquefied cooling fluid willevaporate in the evaporator 26, and it cools the brine proceeding fromthe cooled rooms or spaces through the conduit 33, the pump 34 and thepipe 35, the said brine being discharged in the cold state through theconduit 36. back towards the rooms or spaces to be cooled.

In order to reduce the said plant to the minimum size, I have providedthe following details whereby a very active cooling effect can beobtained in the said condenser and evaporator. The chambers of each ofthese devices are not empty, as in the known apparatus, but are filledwith good heat conducting metallic substances such as granulated lead.In this manner the surface is contact with the cooling fluid is muchincreased. Further, each of said chambers is surrounded by a wirewinding 15 '26 which is a good conductor of heat; this will considerablyincrease the outer surface of the said heat exchanging devices, while atthe same time a more active circulation of the liquid is obtained.

The operation of the said refrigerating regulator is as follows: Whenthe cold conveying brine circulating in 29 round the evaporator 26cannot take any more calores away from the refrigerating chambers, whichoccurs when latter are sufliciently cooled the said brine remains coldwhen it comes back to the channel 29 and will be still further cooledthrough the evaporation of the fluid contained in 26. At the same timelatter fluid withdrawn by the compressor through the pipe 32 becomescolder and colder, making the water in the jacket 42 freeze upon agreater length; the

volume of the total water and ice therein increases, whereby thediaphragm 37 is caused to ascend and to move the needle 38 against theopening of pipe 30. Thus the supply of liquefied refrigerating fluid tothe evaporator 26 through said pipe 30 is gradually reduced to zero asthe freezing of the water in the jacket 42 proceeds. Thereby the fluidcirculates with greater slowness and gives away less cold. The brinewill cease to become any colder and the needle will therefore not closeany more when this state of equilibrium is attained. The cold created bythe apparatus is thus reduced automatically to the amount sufficient forkeeping down the temperature to the required degree. The production ofcold can even be stopped entirely when it is unnecessary; in such a casethe pipe 30 would be completely closed the volume of ice being maximumin the jacket 42.

The adjustment of this regulating device manner, the apparatus willautomatically regulate the operating rate so as to secure the maximumheat exchange in the evaporator. 4

As a secondary advantage, I am enabled to prevent all obstruction 7 dueto foreign bodies of small size, such as oxides dust, or small particlesof water; in the case of an obstruction, the output will cease, and

therefore no more cold is brought to the pipe 32, so that the frozenliquid will melt, allowing the needle-valve *to open and the foreignsubstances will thus escape into the eva orator.

nly in this latter case will the apparatus WOIkintermittently.

, a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator,

What I claim is: In a refrigerating apparatus comprising connected toform a closed system, valve mechanism controlling the flow of refrigerant from the condenser to the evaporator, sald valve mechanismCOIIIPIlSlIlg a chamher, a diaphragm dividing said chamber,

a-needle directly secured to said diaphragm and acting on one side ofsaiddiaphragm to control the flow of refrigerant to the A evaporator, aclosed tubular container surrounding the suction plpe leading to thecompressor,,and connected to said chamber onthe other side of saiddiaphragm, said container, connection, and chamber on the other side ofsaid diaphragm being filled With water adapted to change from liquid tosolid state and reversely by the change in temperature of therefrigerant fluid pass ing to said compressor thru the suction pipe andthus to operate the needle thru the action of the diaphragm.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

PIERRE MAURICE JAUVERT. v

